New Publication: Theoroi and Initiates in Samothrace
The Hieron at Samothrace
Theoroi and Initiates in Samothrace, by Nora M. Dimitrova, has just been published as Hesperia Supplement 37. The book presents 179 inscriptions (many previously unpublished) that provide new information about the people who visited the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace in antiquity. These pilgrims came from around the Mediterranean as either theoroi (sacred ambassadors) or mystai and epoptai, initiates into the still-mysterious Mysteries. The author has identified over 900 individuals who visited the island between ca. 180 B.C. to A.D. 186, journeying from as far west as Tarentum in southern Italy, to as far east as Kalchedon, on the edge of the Black Sea. The monograph is intended for anyone interested in Greek religion and mystery cults, Greek and Latin epigraphy, prosopography, and the history and cult of Samothrace, a site investigated by the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, under the auspices of the American School since 1938. The book is available for purchase through our distributor, David Brown Book Company in North America (+1 800 791 9354) and Oxbow Books (+44 (0)1865 241249) in Europe and the Rest of the World. You can order online through our website. The order will be directed to the closest distributor’s office. The